RVC’s season comes to an end

Friday

Rock Valley sophomore Austin Clardie got the look he wanted with about five seconds left to play in Thursday’s Region IV semifinal matchup against Joliet.

Rock Valley sophomore Austin Clardie got the look he wanted with about five seconds left to play in Thursday’s Region IV semifinal matchup against Joliet.

With his team down three, the 6-foot-1 guard from Rock Falls released a 3-pointer that, according to RVC head coach Jason Warner, “had no right coming out.”
It did.

“That was just a perfect shot after we executed that last play perfectly,” Warner said in a phone interview after his team was eliminated following a 56-51 season-ending loss Joliet (23-8) in Palatine. “He had a great look, and he put up a great shot. Even though it came out, I’m proud as heck of him for taking that one with confidence.”

Clardie’s shot went halfway down before popping back out and into the hands of a Joliet player. He was fouled, made two free throws, and RVC’s season came to a close.

But it didn’t end before the Golden Eagles were vastly improved over last year.

Warner’s 4-23 team of 2006-07 bumped up its production to finish with an 11-18 mark. And Warner insists that increase doesn’t even tell the whole story.

“The way this game ended, and the way this season ended, is not indicative of who we are. Sure we’re disappointed right now, but this team grew with leaps and bounds this year,” Warner added. “Could we have won more games? Sure. But, let’s face it, RVC has been a guaranteed win for awhile before this year. This year, we turned that around.”

The Golden Eagles finished up the year giving up an average of 77 points per game while scoring 73. The gap, according to Warner, is closing quickly.